Thanksgiving "Over There"

Thankgiving "Over There"
The story of Thanksgiving and America’s armed forces.
by Peggy M. Baker,
Director & Librarian, Pilgrim Society.

The first national annual Thanksgiving was proclaimed in 1863 by Abraham Lincoln. Amid the wrenching strife of the Civil War, the tradition of a national holiday centered on home and family and peace was established.

From that first Civil War Thanksgiving to today, sometimes against overwhelming odds, Americans have always found a way to celebrate Thanksgiving. Troops "over there" forged new families with their comrades. Families back home endured fear and loneliness with grace and courage, in hope for the future. During peacetime, special efforts are made so that American armed forces stationed away from home have a traditional "family" celebration.

The Civil War
The Spanish American War
World War I
Between the Wars
World War II
The Cold War-Korea to Vietnam
Post-Cold War

TO OUR VISITORS

"Thanksgiving" brings images of family gatherings, special dinners, reunions, and home. The Thanksgiving experiences of America’s armed services and their families -- experiences that necessarily involve separation from home -- give us a different appreciation both of the meaning of the holiday and of the meaning of "service."

If you are a veteran, we invite you to participate in history by sharing your memories of wartime or military Thanksgivings with your children and grandchildren. Your personal history is part of the greater history of the American military Thanksgiving, a tradition with continuity and ongoing life.